We are still blessed to have my father Jack Suitor Saginaw Michigan still with us at 93 years of age living and in very good shape and mind for his age. He served in the US Army to the rank of corporal. Originally a driver for Officers he was transferred in 1945 to the 12 Armored BN 714 A as a loader and gunner of Sherman tank. His photo is in the 714 A 2nd page on the site. He never spoke about the war early on but through the years I extracted plus learned a lot of his experiences saw his uniforms patches medals and ribbons. Lost over the years our congressman had them replaced through the war dept. and presented him letter and US flag flown over the White House, which the family honored him again on a birthday dinner out with flag medals and ribbons displayed in a case together. My father spoke of being in battles in Herrlisheim. Bischwiller Rohrwiller the Colamar pocket and seeing Munich destroyed. He speaks of freeing multiple POW and freeing Jewish war camps. They went from France Germany and ended in Austria which he said was beautiful. He also spoke of his company capturing NASA scientist Wemer Von Braun. My father liked the movies Saving Private Ryan and Fury were to him the most realistic as far as Hollywood. My dad would had been the role in Fury as the young soldier kid played by Logan Lerman green as grass added to a tank of hardened vets. My dad said the war was hell, everyone miserable the cold, no baths, dirty, the killing, missing home. I respect my father so much growing up dirt poor had nothing to fight for, he unselfishly bravely answered the call to duty he gave all he had for a small kid and to my eyes is a American hero in the worst of conditions possible. The Witness to War came to Michigan to film his story for historic sake as we are losing our precious WWII vets at an alarming rate. I served on the police force for 20 years missing my call to service but wanted to give back to the country that way. I highly respect and thank all of you vets who gave so much for so little. You all need our praise.

Bob SchererJunior MemberMember # 119

Posts: 74From: Yardley, PARegistered: 10/11/2005

posted 12/18/2018 8:20:46 PM RJ,Thank you very much for your Dad's story. Is he a member of the 12th Armored Division Association? Membership is free to 12th AD vets. Please contact me by email at rwscherer@verizon.net and I can provide you info about the Assn and put you in touch with the 714th Tank Bn unit rep, Julie McCarty and other 714th vets.Thanks again,Bob Scherer, 12th ADA historian

Bob BittingJunior MemberMember # 36077

Posts: 10From: Mooresville, NCRegistered: 2/15/2018

posted 12/19/2018 3:06:20 PM My dad, Bob Bitting was also in A/714thTB. I have collected and stored some photos of the company in a shared Google photo album if you and your father are interested. Here is the link.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Jymow67paHACmv7B7

Bob

rjsuitorJunior MemberMember # 36475

Posts: 5From: Saginaw MIRegistered: 12/16/2018

posted 12/23/2018 11:24:30 PM Thank you to both Bob's and I did see my dad in several of the photos ...thank you

Bob BittingJunior MemberMember # 36077

Posts: 10From: Mooresville, NCRegistered: 2/15/2018

posted 12/24/2018 3:08:38 PM RJSuitor,

Would you tell me which photos your father is in? I'm trying to name the soldiers in the photos. Thank you.

Bob

GarandomaticJunior MemberMember # 35332

Posts: 19From: OhioRegistered: 8/15/2016

posted 12/26/2018 9:16:56 AM Very interesting that he liked Fury. I appreciated the great lengths they went to to make it "look" right. A bunch of the plot was derived from incidents documented throughout the war. It's one of my favorites, so much so that I bought a few of the uniforms used in it when a prop dealer sold them off.

rjsuitorJunior MemberMember # 36475

Posts: 5From: Saginaw MIRegistered: 12/16/2018

posted 1/17/2019 6:18:17 AM In the movie Fury my father 18 to 19 years scared kid green as grass would likely be the character Norman Ellison in the movie a clerk typist transferred as a tank replacement. My dad was a a jeep truck driver he was transferred to the 714th A as a replacement and engaged in all the battles and exploits of the 714th A tank company of the 12th Armored Division where green as grass soldiers were transformed into seasoned battle hardened troops.

rjsuitorJunior MemberMember # 36475

Posts: 5From: Saginaw MIRegistered: 12/16/2018

posted 1/17/2019 7:33:56 AM Many thanks to Bob Bitting who reached out to me to help identify photos of his magnificent WWII online photo album of the 12th Armored Division 714 A Bob's father now passed was prominently pictured in the photos.

Bob also supplied me the name and phone number of Lt Vernon Foster now 100 years young commander of the 714th A who my father CPL Jack Suitor 93 years old rode in a tank together throughout the campaign. As it turns out both of these heroes are amazingly still alive.

Lt Foster resides on a farm outside Baltimore Maryland area and my father outside of Saginaw Michigan area. My father left for a social engagement with other family but I picked up the phone called my fathers Lieutenant we engaged in conversation for quite a while. Vernon is quite engaging and his memory still very good. He did acknowledged he remembered my dad by his last name as many replacements were coming in and out of the unit. Being a Lieutenant plus older then my dad being only 18 years Lieutenant Foster around 26 had a much better overview of the campaign then that of my father.

My father is extremely shy until you get to know him, a very quiet humble fellow opposite his Italian wife (now deceased) the mother of us 4 rather gregarious if not socially engaging daughter and three sons. I attribute this to being Italian.

World War II is a important part of our countries history. The fact we are losing all of these hero's on a daily basis causes one to take pause. Those who both volunteered or answered the call of service without question is a major piece of our nations history and those of other countries world wide. The history or those who participated, suffered injured killed or separated from loved ones for life must not be forgotten.

I do believe the next generation of our WW II soldiers have some what a grasp of the undertaking of the war, the pure hell and agony of our fathers, now grand fathers or great grand fathers had to undertake. I am afraid the younger the generations the the more uneducated of the history if not more detached they have become of this war.

MikeWoldenbergJunior MemberMember # 16

Posts: 1034From: University at Buffalo (NY)Registered: 6/1/2004

posted 1/17/2019 10:55:37 PM Has your Dad joined the Association? ContactBill Vosseler at HellcatNews@Yahoo.comIt is free for 12th Armored veterans.